Team
| Kristina Moris Founder & President
Kristina Moris is an expert executive coach, consultant, facilitator, and speaker who brings a rare combination of business savvy and HR expertise to each client The Washington Firm works with. Her training in finance, marketing, and business administration helps her extend her perspective beyond the HR department to appreciate the full context in which employees work, and understand how best to align people and policies with the requirements of the business. For nearly 20 years, Kristina has led the Washington Firm with a deep understanding of workplace and employee dynamics, a commitment to outstanding client service, and proven skill in applying the right approaches in the right ways to accomplish specific outcomes. Her accessible manner helps her engage with all kinds of employees in productive, goal-oriented ways, even in the context of difficult personnel matters. As a result, she has earned a reputation for delivering results in specialties such as leadership development, management training, high performance team development, investigations, and creating a respectful workplace through the prevention of discrimination and harassment. Kristina has worked with clients in a diverse range of fields including media, healthcare, e-commerce, government, construction, and legal, building a deep base of industry knowledge as well as familiarity with key trends in these verticals over time. Prior to joining The Washington Firm in 1992, Kristina spent six years with King Broadcasting Company, first as Human Resources Director for KING TV, KING AM/FM Radio, and Corporate Headquarters, then as VP of Human Resources for the cable television division. In these roles, she facilitated management retreats, designed and delivered management training, and provided human resource consulting services. Before moving to King, Kristina had worked at Eli Lilly and Company. |
| Robin Nielson Senior Consultant
As a consultant with The Washington Firm, Robin Nielsen provides employers with experienced HR support. Robin conducts HR audits, drafts policies and procedures, and conducts workplace investigations. She has also developed and implemented training programs for managers and employees in the areas of preventive employment practices, sexual harassment prevention, wage and hour procedures, and discipline and discharge. Prior to joining The Washington Firm, Robin had 15 years of experience working as a labor and employment lawyer representing small, medium, and large employers. She was a partner with the Seattle firm of Preston, Gates and Ellis (now K&L Gates), where her practice focused on issues of equal employment opportunity, wage and hour claims, and helping employers design and execute preventive employment practices. She also has nine years of experience in international development, assisting developing countries, donors, and organizations with issues relating to land rights, legal aid and access to justice, and dispute resolution systems. |
| Michael Melancon Organizational Effectiveness Practice Leader
Michael Melancon is an accomplished designer of practical organizational effectiveness strategies for a wide range of companies. He draws on 30 years of experience as a strategic business partner to help clients maximize company performance and profitability through precise alignment of human resource initiatives with core business objectives. As a change management architect, he has aligned widely divergent corporate cultures and processes in conjunction with corporate restructuring, process reengineering, mergers, and acquisitions. Before joining The Washington Firm, Mike worked for ProBusiness, a boutique provider of outsourced payroll and HR services for Fortune 500 companies. As VP of Human Resources, Mike directed the company's HR program and designed and implemented outsourced HR and payroll administrative products and services. Mike previously served as VP of Organizational Effectiveness and Human Resources for Cost Care, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Company. He began his career working and lecturing in human resource management for the University of California at both the Davis and Irvine campuses and medical centers. |
| Kyle Forrest, JD PhD Senior Consultant, Legal Industry
Kyle has over 18 years of experience working with a broad range of clients, including lawyers and C- level executives, in gaining self-awareness, identifying blind spots, and clarifying and developing objectives and strategies to support them in improving their performance. He has demonstrated expertise working with clients on diverse topics including behavioral, performance, and relational issues, dealing with pressure, and navigating change. He has a rare combination of experience as an attorney and as a psychotherapist, uniquely qualifying him to work with law firm partners and associates as an executive coach. Kyle assists clients in navigating challenges, crystalizing goals, aligning individual and organizational goals, and moving firms to higher levels of performance. Known for his ability to develop trusting relationships with clients and join with them as a confidential and supportive sounding board, Kyle provides non-judgmental feedback and supports clients to identify unrecognized assumptions and discern patterns that are no longer effective. He has strong results working with clients to develop action plans to resolve issues and coaching them to move forward in their careers. Kyle is a member of the Washington State Bar (inactive), a former judicial law clerk at the Washington State Supreme Court, and has a PhD in cognitive psychology. Additionally, he has extensive experience in academia at the University of Washington, Tacoma. |
| Carolyn Mangelsdorf, PhD Psychologist and Senior Consultant
Dr. Mangelsdorf's curiosity about people and the human condition inspired her to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at University of Minnesota. After 15 years on the faculty at University of Washington and 30 years in private practice in Seattle, she continues to be passionate about helping individuals, couples, and organizations navigate life's challenges. In her practice, Dr. Mangelsdorf works with clients to recognize aspects of universal human nature or individual experience that impact their ability to engage effectively. Her work is founded on the belief that people thrive when they define their response to adversity based on their values and priorities, rather than when they allow themselves to be defined by their circumstances. With compassionate self-awareness, clients are able to move from a reactive stance to an aspirational approach to life's complexities. A firm believer in the importance of humanity and relationship in every interaction, Dr. Mangelsdorf is renowned for bringing her warmth, intelligence and humor to both her teaching and her clinical work. |